24/06/2014

Introductions and a fabulous weekend retreat

Morning all, hope you had a great weekend. Monday's here again and I'm wondering where the weekend went. I know I've been a bit quite on the blog over the past few days but I've been busy behind the scenes and can today I'm able to share what I've been up to with you, so apologies for the long post :-) Andy (the Crafty Elf as he's lovingly known) and I were joined by 27 lovely ladies and our first gent for our second retreat of the year. What a fab time we all had crafting away. The retreat was months in the planning but like any event you look forward to, it seemed to be over in a flash. Thank you all for coming along and making it such a success and thank you to all the staff at the Holiday Inn for looking after us all over the two days. More about the weekend below.

Over the past few weeks we've seen some amazing projects and creativity from this years amazingly talented Graphic 45 design team, and now it's Ambassador intro week, so I can share my projects with you. My intro bio and info on each of my projects are on the G45 blog today, so if you have time to head over there and leave a comment that would be great. Here's the link.Graphic 45 Blog There's also more intro's this week from fellow Ambassadors Jim the Gentleman Crafter and Laura Denison from the USA.

Having received our humungous box of goodies from Portland our commitment for the year is to make one project with each of the new collections, and for our introductions create three projects that best describe us as designers. I chose an off the page flower arrangement in an Art Deco themed vase that combined Couture and Steampunk Debutante collections with Graphic 45 Cor'Dinations 12 x 12 Darks and the Sizzix Susans Garden flower dies. I love making flowers, something I taught in sugar craft for ten years at our local college. Making them out of paper was really fun, and great for the figure. You can't eat them lol!! Its also a workshop project too. For my second project I chose to get creative out of chipboard, and design a gift idea, something we all like to make. And for my third project I made a Sporting Memories box, with Scrapbook, autograph book and trinket tray for all those little keepsakes we collect. It combines all the papers and embellishments in the Good Ol Sport collection including shrink plastic stamped detail on the autograph book. There's a bit of blurb about me and more info on my projects over on the Graphic 45 blog

This collectors box was designed to teach as a retreat project and over the weekend eight keen crafters including Roy, Mr Candy Box crafts himself who designed the box made this version and 22 ladies made the alternative project using the Botanical Tea papers. We painted, altered, added, inked, stamped made wire bound books and albums. A really jam packed weekend. Take it away everyone;

big smiles from Karen and the Crafty Elf - the card machine must be working

Roy - Mr Candy Box Crafts

I managed to get a picture of my fabulous design team Karen(left) and Lynne (right) who are the Creative Spirits, and help me with all the samples for the Create and Craft TV shows.

Clare, Karen and Lyn - the Creative Spirits

Here's one of Karens projects she bought with her made from Botanical Tea papers - amazing …..

Sylvia with her two projects

Not quite everyone with their projects and still smiling at the end of day two :-)

And these were our projects

I couldn't post all the photos taken over the weekend so I've put them all into a little slide show:

If you'd like to make one or both of the projects we made over the weekend you can order the project sheets and Candy Box Crafts A5 Box with Drawer from my website at

I'm out and about teaching over the next few months before my next retreat in November . There's four of the 30 places left for that one if you fancy coming along and then three more retreat dates to arrange for 2015. I'll update the blog with all the info later this week.

Well, that was a long one, and if you're still reading thanks for calling by. I hope you enjoyed the read, my projects and pics and look forward to catching up again soon for another crafty read :-) C

5 comments:

OMG Clare when do you find time to eat, drink, or sleep?? These projects are absolutely beautiful!!! I love them all. I do have to tell you that I watch a lot of instructional videos on U Tube and Graphic 45 Blogs and YOU are my FAVORITE, and always will be, designer!!! So professional, so down to earth, I just love listening to you and have learned so much from you. Your second box looks like a dispenser for tea packets maybe? It is cute!!! Take care my friend, glad Andy, the Crafty Elf, was with you, looks like you had a very very busy time of it but also had a lot of fun as well!!! Thanks for sharing your talent with us!

Wow what an awesome project Clare, so beautiful. And what a wonderful weekend you guys had, i've been hearing all about it, the girls absolutely loved your retreat and didn't want it to end. I did think about you all and wished i'd been there - maybe next time :)

Morning Clare, I was so ecstatic to see that you are being 'showcased' as the first Ambassador for Graphic 45 on their Blog, you are my favourite designer and Graphic 45 are my favourite paper collections, so this was a 'marriage made in Heaven'. I must admit when G45 told us who they had picked for their new DT, I was so disappointed that your name wasn't there, but I wasn't sad for long when I read that they had asked you to be one of their Ambassadors, a fabulous accolade.Brilliant projects and fabulous piccies of happy peeps at your workshops. Don't forget to take some 'me time' in your very busy schedule haha.Have a lovely day.Lots of love from Patricia xx